Loose Pearl

Glossary of Pearl Terms A

Glossary of Pearl Terms A

abalone blister pearl: Nacreous natural half-pearl formed on the inside of an abalone shell.

abalone cultured blister pearl: Nacreous pearl cultured by attaching a half-round nucleus to the inside of the abalone shell. At harvest, the shell is cut around the blister, leaving the nucleus and shell intact.

abalone mabe pearl: Nacreous cultured blister pearl that is separated from the shell at harvest. Its half-round nucleus is removed, the cavity is filled with epoxy resin and backed with a mother-of-pearl disk.

abalone pearl: Nacreous natural whole pearl formed in the body of an abalone.

abas: Unit of weight historically used in Persia to valuate natural pearls. One abas is equivalent to 0.91 carat.